Need help looking for a job? Tired of hearing silence when you apply on-line? RightChanges Job Search Coach offers tips on how to find a job in this market and how to stand out from your competition. These tips apply whether you are unemployed, misemployed, new graduate, or re-entering the job market.

Friday, October 5, 2012

If you want to connect with someone on LinkedIn, take one moment to say how you met them or heard about them.

A LinkedIn expert in the Atlanta area tells his audience that although he is a LION (LinkedIn Open Networker) he only accepts invitations that have been customized. As a LION too I had been accepting invitations that were not customized; no longer.

When you send a LinkedIn request, you have the option to use the standard message: “I use LinkedIn to keep track of my professional network, and would like to add you. “

Instead, add a very brief personalized statement on every request, even to people you know well. For example: If you have read one of their articles and want to connect, simply add the words “I read your article on…” and the topic in front of the standard message.

The differences between a successful person and one who is not successful are the little things.

While working with job seekers in her practice, Judi Adams of RightChanges hears all too often from clients “I wish I had known about you when I began my job search” or “I didn’t know there were people like you [meaning job search coach] when I started my job search”.
Even people whose companies offer Outplacement or Career Transition services are not familiar with those services and how they may help increase the success of landing the job they want.

What is a Job Search Coach?
Upfront let’s clarify that a Job Search Coach is not a recruiter. A Job Search Coach helps you know what you need to do to be successful in your job search. They partner with you to answer your questions and guide you past obstacles you may encounter.

There are Career Direction coaches who help you determine the right type of job for you and there are Job Search Coaches who help you know how to go get that job. Some coaches are trained in both.

Some coaches will write your resume for you while others will teach you how to maintain your own resume so you are now empowered to do so when you need to tailor your resume and maintain it for the future.

A coach is part educator (sharing with you how the job market is different and how to use the new tools such as LinkedIn) and part sounding board. They are there to help you maintain perspective and stay encouraged and to point out possible problems that stand in way of your success.

How Would I Benefit By Having a Coach?
Too many job seekers say “I have found a job before I can do it again”. That is denying the job market has changed. A coach can help you know the right way to approach the search in this new and changing job market.

A coach is a trained set of eyes and ears to provide valuable feedback and help you overcome any obstacles in your way. None of us would compete in a sports game, even a friendly neighborhood championship, without practicing. Yet too many job seekers go into an interview when a job is on the line without practicing the interview. The way you word something in an interview may be communicating something you did not intend and may be what is eliminating you as the perfect candidate.

What Does Coaching Services Cost?
The costs of coaching services vary wildly. Costs can run hourly at $75 an hour and up and packages can run from $1800 up to almost $10,000.

Some coaches have a lower price for group coaching versus one-on-one tailored programs. Group sessions are targeted to the lowest skilled job seekers in the group. Not all job seekers need the same level of service and group sessions may be a waste of time for more advanced job seekers.

Unlike car dealers who at least post their sticker price on their car, too many job search coaching services do not post their prices on their web site.

Take your usual monthly salary and multiply it by the number of months you have been in a job search. What would you pay to shorten the number of months ahead of you?

Will a Coach Guarantee Me a Job?
Unless the coach hires you themselves, no coach can guarantee you a job; they don’t control that factor. The most a coaching service could do is refund a portion of your money if you are not successful.
How Should I Select a Coach?
Of course if you are unemployed, money will be one factor.

Referrals are a great way to find a good coach.

Meet with the coach and see if you like their style of communication. Let them assess your job search skills and then propose the level of services that fit your need. Pay attention to how they spend that initial time with you. Are they spending the majority of your time together pushing their services or are they truly listening to what you need?

Be sure the coach is active in professional associations and with job networking groups so you know they are staying current as the job market continues to change.

Ask to see a sample of their resume template. If it does not have a summary of your skills in the top half of the first page and has “References available upon request” at the bottom, thank them and then run out of their office. They have not kept up on their skills.

Ask about their success rate.

Some job seekers ask how long it takes for a candidate to land a job they want. That will vary depending on if the job seeker is employed currently, if the candidate starts and stops the process for vacations or family obligations, and if they are taking a long time to do the work they need to in order to find the job, all of which will elongate the search process.

So if you are in a job search, consider partnering with a job search coach who can help you succeed in this competitive job market.

Other Tips

In this competitive market, every little trick helps. RightChangesJobSearchCoach.blogspot.com will give a tip for job seekers each week.
Name Badge
Use an experienced salesperson’s tip. Wear your name tag on the right so your name is in the line of sight of the people you shake hands with, making it easier for them to remember your name.

Body LanguageExcuse me - What did your body language say again? Over 80% of communication is non verbal. It is essential for you to know how to read your contact’s and interviewer’s body language so you can judge the effect of what you are saying verbally. It is also essential for you to control your own body language. The following are some brief tips.

1) Leaning forward shows interest.
2) Eye contact establishes trust with the other person.
3) Do not cross anything (arms, legs, etc.). Crossing indicates you are closed to or guarding against the person or what is being said.
4) Keep your hands within sight to show you are not hiding anything. Did you know that shaking hands started as a way to show you are not carrying a weapon?

Read more on body language and see if you may be saying one thing and your body another. The library, the web, and discount bookstores have a lot on this topic.

Do Something for Yourself

You are looking for a job so money is tight or you are budgeting more closely than ever before. This tip may seem counterintuitive but it is worth every penny. The tip: Do something for yourself that would make you proud! Whether it is to lose weight, take classes, splurge on a new interview suit or jacket, get a new hair cut or color the grey, or get new more contemporary glasses, just do it! Your self confidence level will increase. You may even meet a great networking connection that way.

This does not need to cost a lot. There are less expensive, money saving options too.

Classes: The state has programs that will cover the cost of training. Some colleges let people audit classes for free and there are links for free on-line courses. Libraries and other organizations offer seminars. During an interview, when you are asked what you have been doing since you were laid off, they will see that you have continued to develop yourself and expand your interests.

Instead of the gym: If you want to lose weight but cannot afford a gym membership, then walk the mall 1 hour non-stop several times a week. You don’t have to be an early riser either; you can find mall walkers at all hours. Check with your favorite malls. In some malls, the anchor stores close later than the other stores, so you can walk the mall without the crowds.

Eyeglasses: Several eye glass stores have "two for one" specials. Go in halves with someone on the cost.

New Interview Suit or jacket: Now is the time to shop. The stores are already marking down clothes for the new season. Watch the paper for additional discounts and coupons. Go on the web and see if the store has on-line coupons available there. You would be amazed at the savings.

You don't need to spend a lot but do something just for you that you are proud of and enjoy it!

Read Who Moved My Chesse and the Prayer of JabezCheese and Jabez: Change is hard and being on the job market is one of the most stressful changes in a person’s life. RightChanges asks every client to (re)read Who Moved My Cheese. It can be read in less than one hour and has a great message on accepting change.

Another recommended book is the Prayer of Jabez. It is based on a single verse in the Bible and reminds us that God has a storehouse of blessings for us; we just have to ask. Check these out at your local library.